Stephen Harper questions PQ motives for Charter of Quebec Values

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a warning to the Quebec government Thursday, pledging to protect fundamental Canadian rights from a proposed charter of values that could bring in a sweeping ban on religious symbols.

As Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau fended off attacks from sovereigntist leaders accusing him of comparing the hypothetical plan, not yet tabled as legislation in Quebec’s National Assembly, to the segregation of blacks in the United States 50 years ago, Harper took his own shots at the Parti Quebecois government, while suggesting he didn’t want to be drawn into a fight about the plan.

“We know that the separatist government in Quebec would love to pick fights with Ottawa, but that’s not our business,” Harper said at a news conference about criminal justice legislation in Toronto. “Our business is the economy. Our business is job creation for Canadians — all Canadians including Quebecers — and our job is social inclusion.”

The anticipated Charter of Quebec Values is expected to create new rules in government, covering public sector employees who deliver public services.

Harper said he had heard different things about the proposal from Premier Pauline Marois’ government, “some of which cause more concern than others,” and noted that his government wanted to ensure that all groups — regardless of race, ethnicity and religion — felt at home as Canadians.

The prime minister also said different competing rights were at play, including the rights of religion and gender equality. “We will withhold our comments until we see what is exactly in the proposal and we will assure ourselves, when we look at that proposal, that the fundamental rights of Canadians are indeed protected.”

Harper’s comments followed some cautious remarks from his cabinet in previous days, including his Quebec lieutenant, Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel, who said the debate should involve provincial leaders in Quebec. The minister responsible for multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, had said he hoped the charter would respect universal values of freedom of religion and conscience.

Responding to Harper’s comments, a Bloc Quebecois spokesman said that the Conservative government has imposed a series of decisions — including on economic issues such as employment insurance, job training or sustainable development and environmental protection — despite opposition from Quebec, and always rejects criticism as “an attempt to pick fights” with Ottawa. Earlier this week, Bloc Quebecois Leader Daniel Paille also accused federal politicians of trying to use the concept of Canadian multiculturalism to deny the existence of the Quebec nation and urged them to stay out of the debate.

But NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has offered his own criticism of the PQ government’s musings, suggesting a charter of values would continue to discourage minorities from finding jobs within Quebec’s public sector.

Trudeau has delivered more direct attacks, making references to the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech to argue against “this idea of a charter of Quebec values.”

Speaking to Liberal supporters in P.E.I. on Wednesday night, Trudeau said some still believed that people must choose between their identity as Quebecers and their religion, but that the Liberals would always stand “against this intolerance and this division.”

When pressed by reporters Thursday, Trudeau said that there was “no parallel between segregation and the (proposed) Quebec charter.”

“The parallel is certainly between the fight for openness and respect and acceptance of everything that everyone is,” Trudeau said. “I am proud of where we have come, where we are as an open society, and I intend to keep us as an open society and that is the position that I have against this charter.”

Independent Sen. Jean-Claude Rivest, a card-carrying member of the Quebec Liberal Party who once sat in the National Assembly, said he’s seeing some signs of “Quebec-bashing” in criticism of the plan, as well as some political posturing on the part of the PQ. But in an interview, he said the concept of a new charter has nothing to do with the old language battles, but instead deals with questions being raised in many other countries about how to create a pluralistic society that separates the government and religion.

“It’s not a Quebec problem,” said Rivest, who previously represented the Progressive Conservatives in the Senate after being appointed by former prime minister Brian Mulroney in 1993. “It’s a problem of democratic societies.”

But Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos suggested that the Harper government was wise to avoid a direct confrontation with the PQ government before seeing the anticipated plan.

“Other than just a political ploy on the part of the Parti Quebecois to chase down nationalist votes that have maybe left to go to other more radical nationalist parties in the last couple of elections, there’s no other benefit (from introducing a new charter),” said Housakos, who was born and raised in Montreal. “So the only people that see a need for this is the Parti Quebecois. And the need is for political expediency.”

Housakos said democratic governments should not try to regulate whether public servants are allowed to wear different cultural items such as a kippah, a turban or hijab, or whether a cross is too visible.

“This is just a ridiculous discussion,” said Housakos, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Greece.